Statistical machine



N. G. HOLDEN 2,329,677

STATISTICAL MACHINE Filed OGL 1' 1937 7 sheets-Smet 1 Sept., 14, i943.,

Sept. 14, 1943, N. G. HOLDEN STATISTICAL MACHINE Filed Oct. l, 1937 '7 Sheets-Sheet 2 TTONEV Sept. 14, 1943. N. G. HOLDEN STATISTICAL MACHINE File@ 0@ 1 1937 7 sheets-sheet s Sept 14, 1943 N. G. HOLDEN STATISTICAL MACHINE Filed Oct. l, 193.7 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fig. 2A

Sept.' 14, 1943 N. @.HoLnEN STATISTICAL MACHINE Filed 0G17. l, 1957 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 a oo 3 l HT TUIQ/VEY Sept. 14, 1943. N. G. HoLDEN STATISTICAL MACHINE 7 Sheets-Sheri?, 6

Filed 001H l, 1937 F ig. 6.

f www fr Sem., my @4% N. G. HOLDEN STATISTICAL MACHINE Filed Oct. l, 1937 7 Sheets-Shea?l 7 F ig. 6A.

Patented Sept. 14, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE 2,329,677 v Q l v STATISTICAL MACHINE Britain ApplicationOctober 1, 1937, Serial No. 166,84

In Great Britain October 10, 1936 1 Claim.

This invention relates to record controlled tabulating machines of the kind including a plurality of denominational actuators, an accumulator wheel to each actuator, a corresponding plurality of denominational columns of stops, each column including a zero-stop normally effective to block movement of the corresponding actuator, and means whereby the setting of any other stop in a column tends to render the zero stop for that column ineiective, means operative in eachmachine cycle to free the actuators for movement under control of the corresponding stops to take a setting from said stops, said means being also operative to restore said actuators, 'accumulato-r Wheel, control mechanism normally conditioned to effect engagement of the Wheels with the yactuators after they have been set from the stops, and a total shaft serving, when actuated, to condition the accumulator wheel control mechanism to effect engagement of the wheels with the actuators before said actuators have been freed for movement.

The object of the invention is to provide a construction of the above kind of machine in which the zero stops for any one or more of a plurality of actuators may, by means of a simple manual control applicable to the zero stops individually, be maintained effective at alltimes, except during a total cycle and the first record reading cycle thereafter, or may be released for normal operation under lthe control of therecord at each record reading cycle.

According to the present invention a machine of the kind above referred to comprises in combination a locking member to each zero stop, re-

silient means individual to each locking member urging said member into engagement with its associated zero stop to maintain said stop effective, each of said locking members being mounted for individual Withdrawal manually from engagement with its zero stop, means for manually latching each locking member individually in the withdrawn position, means operated by the total shaft to withdraw from engagement with their `associated zero stops all those locking members which are unlatched, a second latching means common to all said locking members, resilient means rendered effective when said locking members are thus withdrawn by the total shaft to cause said common latching means to retain said locking members withdrawn, a pawl and ratchet device adapted to release said common latching means in stages, one stage at each actuation of the pawl,

and means ioractuating the pawl at each machine cycle to effect one stage of the release of said common latching means at each 4machine cycle until the release is completed, the relation between the pawl andv ratchetvdevice and said common latching means beinglsuch that therelease oi said latching means is complete after the data on the first-record following a total has been read and entered into theaccumulator wheels. f

In constructions' Vaccording to the invention any desired actuator may be selected to print designations by manually withdrawing and latching the locking members for the zero stops associated with all the remaining actuators." The 'ZEFOVSOPS in rspectvof which the locking members are 'thus withdrawn and latched will operatenormally so thatdata Aread l'from successive records will be entered into the corresponding laccumulator wheels rby the associated actuators. The zero stops in respect of which v'the locking members have not been withdrawn, will be held effective .at each record reading cycle save 4the first following a total and willj4 also be `rendered ineiective at each totalcycle, so that designations can lbe entered into the corresponding accumulator wheel in the irstrecord reading cycle and stored thereby until the next following total cycle, when they are printed.

The invention will now be described with ref# erence to the accompanying drawings in which the invention is diagrammatically Villustrated"as applied to a record card controlled tabulating machine. Inthe drawings:

Figures 1 and 1A togetherv show the locationof the designating control mechanism in the adding head of the tabulator;

Figures 2 and 2A show the mechanism of the invention in side elevation' to an enlarged scale;

Figure 3 shows the mechanism` in rearv elevation; s g Figure 4 shows it in plan; Figure `5 shows mechanism` for actuating the mechanismV shown in Figures land 2, and

, Figures 6 and 6A together illustrate diagrammatioally the mechanism for initiating a total taking operation. l Y Inf the drawings like references designate the same or similar parts. e `v The invention is particularly intended for use ina record card controlled tabulating machine of the kind described in United States patentspeciilcation No- 2,242,095 issued to Arthur Thomas, May 13, 194,1, and will now be described by way of example `as applied to such a machine.

Such a machine has a 'stop basket of which the bottoignV of the slot 2.

ward to the raised stop. In the construction shown in the drawings y.

the zero stop I in each column is formed with a tion when the sector I8 leaves its normal position.

On a total printing cycle and when the item on the first card of a group is being printed, however, it is desired to print also the corresponding designation and it is necessary, therefore, to release the zero stops I both on a total cycle and on the next following cycle, i. e. the cycle in which the first card of a new group is being handled.

To this end the following mechanism is preferably employed.

slot 2 in which engages a pin 3 carried by one arm 4 of a bell crank pivoted on a shaft 5(Fig: y

ure 2), the other arm 6 of the bell crank being normally disposed adjacent a bail 'I secured to the back total shaft 8 of the machine (Figuresl and 2). A spring 9 maintains the bell crank 4 Q Y in the position shown in Figure 2 and a spring I attached to the Zero stop I maintains the upper end of the slot 2 in engagement with the ein 3.s s The other stops in the stop basket, of which oneisindicated at IIin Figure 2, are normally -held down by springs I2 and each stop carries a pin I3 co-operating with a cam` face I4 on a slide AI5 vof which the end |6 abuts against a tail I'I of the bell crank 4, 6.

When `any stop II is raised by the action of a sensing pin (not shown) finding a hole in a card, its pin I3 actsy on the cam surface I4 and pushes the slide I5 to the right in Figure 2 whereby the bell crank 4, 6 is .rocked in a counter-clockwise direction. This movement of ythe bell crank causes the arm 4 thereof to pull the zero stop I downwards through the action of spring I0 thereby releasing the associated sector IB (Figure l) -so that the latter can .move up to the stop II lwhich has been set from the card. Iii-handling designations it is desired to print the designation only from the first card of a. group Aand also -when the total of the items relating to that group is printed. Tothis end the following preferred construction raccording to the inventionmay be employed The zero stop I for each column in which designations are to be punched is provided with a 'lug I9 co-cperating with a locking slide 20 `carjrledin slots 2Ia formed in guides 2 Iy mounted on fa frame comprising side plates 22 attached to the 'frame 23 of the' adding mechanism of the tabulator.

Each locking slide is pulled to the left in 'Figure 2 by a spring 24 and is'formed with a "recess 25 which, by pulling the slide to the right,

y20 is held permanently to the right in its inoperatlve position.

When a slide 28 is permitted to move to the fullest extent to the left in Figure 2 the lefthand end 20a of the slide engages under the lug I9 on the stop I and prevents the stop from moving downwardly. If one of the stops I I is raised when the zero stop I is thus held up, the bell crank 4, 6 rocks counter-clockwise as before but the .spring I8 extends and the pin 3 moves to the By this means, although a stop II may be raised in the column concerned the corresponding sector I Ill is unable to take a setting from this ,stop because the zero stop I is still I raised. Also, the corresponding printing hammer is unable to operate since, in the known manner, the hammer is only released for opera- Secured to a shaft 26 is a bail 21 in the form of a comb between the teeth of which the locking slides 2l pass, each slide having a pin 28 whereby rocking of the `bail to the right in Figure 2 pushes the slides away'from the locking position and the movement thereof in the other direction releases the slides to the action of their springs 24.

in order to explain the operation of the mechanism it is convenient to describe it as being in the position which it occupies immediately after a total taking operation- This position is shown in Figure 2.

Secured to the shaft 26 Yon which the bail 21 1s mounted is an actuating plate 28 pin 30 overlying a resetting lever 3l on the back total shaft 8 (Figures 1 and 2) of the tabulati); which is rockedwhena total cycle occurs,

VIn order to rock the back total shaft 8 abell crank plate 32 is secured theretoand pivoted-'t0 the plate 32 is a linkI 33 which pulled down-hy a cam IZI on the total shaft 96 ydescribed inthe aforesaid United States .patent specification No. 2,242,095 issued to Arthur Thomas, May 13, 1,941.

The shaft 96 is caused to make one revolution when a change in designation is detected by the designation pin box P. y c The designation pin box P is constructed in substantially the same manner as the pin box vdescribed in United `States patent specification No. 1,661,684 issued March e, 192e, and includes a plurality of testing bars 8l, one f0.1 each collumn (Fig. 6). i

Each testing bar is formed with a slot 88 at one end, this slot being open upwardly and disposed adjacent the slotted ends of the testing bars is a frame s'secured toa 'shaft S0 and carrying a number of pivoted latches QI, one for each testing bar. Each latch has a projection 'S2 which @an engage ,in the slot 88 in the end of its associated testing bar when the latch is moved to a. given position- By this means any desired number of the testing bars 81 can be coupled tothe frame 89.

At each cycle of the machine, as long as there is agreement between successive cards passing through the designating pin box, all. the testine bars 81 are f ree toreciprocate as described in specification No. 1,661,684 and they therefore perthere is disagreement vbetween tvv'o-S1-lccetil ...Ve

cards one or more of these testing hars 81 will be arrested and consequently the frame B9l will failtorock. H 'I As described in lthe Themas. Parent No. 2,242,095 aforesaid there is also secured tb. the shaft 90 a lever 83 connected through a 'Q4 to a clutch Qontrol lever serving to Qontrol Clutch for connecting the shaft'te the tabulator main shaft IUI.. Y

This Clutch comprisesa discfl lwhich. cen'- tinuously rotated from, the, tabulatcr main shaft through a-ge'ef wheel tenured to the. mais shaft '15-v md engaging "e gear Wheel. wmoh miumssasado?? gages'teeth on the periphery of the disc 91, the gear ratio being such that the disc 91 inakes one revolution to each three revolutions of the main shaft'll. s Y l i Secured to the total Vshaft 96 is a driven clutch member |03 and secured to the disc 91 which is driven from the main shaft are three latches I Illa which lare normally held by springs |02 `in such a position thatvany one of the latches would engage the clutch member and rotate the total shaft Qt.l y y ANormally however the clutch control lever 95 is in such a position that as the disc 91 rotates a lug |03 on the clutch control lever engages each latch I0 Ia as it comes round and deflects it from the clutch member |00 so that ity does not engage therewith and the total shaft 96 `remains stationary. When a total cycle isl to occur, however, the clutch control lever 95 is held out of the path of the latches I0 Ia and consequently one of these latches engages with the clutch member |00 and causes rotation of the Atotal shaft.

Secured to the main shaft IOI is a cam |04 with which engages a roll |05 on one end of the clutch control lever 95, the roll |05 being held in engagement with the cam |04 by `a spring 93a attached to the lever 93. The cam |04 is so shaped that while acard is entering the designation pin 4boa: l? and is being sensed the cam |04 holds the clutch control lever-95 clear of the latches IOIa on the aforesaid disc 91. Just before the` testing bars 31 commence to reciprocate however; the cam |24 releases the clutch control lever 95 which can then move into the `path of the latches IIlI under the action of spring 93a provided that all the testing bars are free to move, that is to say provided that there is no change in designation. If, however, there is a change the testing bars 81 will fail to move and consequently the frame 90 to which they are connected by their respective Alatches S9 will also fail to move and this frame, being connected to the clutch control lever 95, will also'hold the latter out of the path of the latches Ibla on the clutch control disc 91 so that the total shaft-9S will be coupled to said disc and will make one revolution.

At total taking the shaft 95 makes one revolution which occupies three revolutions of the shaft il and commences at 335 ina revolution of the shaft ISI.' I y The cam I4@ commences to rock the shaft 45 at 320 in each revolution of shaft IOI and this rocking movement is completed in one direction at .122 in the following revolution. At 128 in this same following revolution the shaft. 45 commences to return and is fully restored 'at 290. The cam I2I pulls down the link 33 at 315 in the next revolution but one after the shaft 96 has commenced to rotate and at 265 in the next following revolution the link 33 is returned upwardly by a spring.

` (Io-operating with the actuating plate for 'the bail 21 is a latch plate 34 pivoted on another shaft and provided with two peripheral steps 33, .either of which the actuating plate 29 can engage. In the position shown in Figure 2 the actuating plate 29 is in engagement with the lowermost step 36a whereby the bail 21 is held in an intermediate position in which it holds the locking slides 20 in a position in which the locking slides 20 have moved half way towards their locking position but have not yet engaged under the lugs I3 on the stops I.

Pivoted on the shaft on which the latch plate 34 is also pivoted is an arm 38 to which a pawl39 is pivotedat 40 and this arm 38y is pivoted at 4IY to a link' 42 'connected at 43" (Figure 1) to an arm 44 on the sector restoring shaftA 45 which isprockedathrougha link 49 and arm 41 at each revolution of the tabulator main shaft by means of a cam |40. The link 4B is pivoted toy alever |38 actuated by a cam |40 on the main shaft IOI asdescribed in the Patent Specification No. 2,242,095 aforesaid.: Y f As already explained Figure 2-shows the parts inthe positions which they occupy at the end of a total taking operation.v f

During the next vrevolutionfof the main shaft of the m'achine'-the rvdata from the nrst card of the nextnzgroup is printed. The sensing of this card by the item sensing pin box and the setting of the stops therefrom occurs ktowards the end of the preceding rrevolution the setting ofthe stops being completed at 360i4 in that preceding revolution and at this time the 'pawl 39 remains inthe position shown in Figure 2 since the slot 43a permits the arm 44 on the sector restoring shaft 45 to move to a limited extent beforemoving the link 42.

Consequently when the stops II are set from therst card of a group the locking slides 20 remain clear of the Zero stops I and the latter are able to move down, so that the sectors I8 can take a setting from the stops II `and the designation on the first 'card of the group is printed;

Immediately after the stops have been set the link 42 rocks the arm 38 `clockwise whereby the pawl 30 drops beh-ind the too-th 48, then on the return of arm 30 pawl 39 by 'acting on tooth 4B turns the latchplate 34 counter-clockwise until the actuating plate 29 drops off the step 35a and is arrested by the pin 30 engaging the resetting lever 3|. rI'his movement of the plate 29 permits the bail 21 torock counter-clockwise whereby the ends 20a of the slides 20 engage under the llugs I9 on the stops I, thereby preventing printing of the designation from the following cards of the group.

As each card passes through the machine the pawl 39 rocks idly along the undersurface of the plate 34 adjacent the tooth 48, butwithout effecting any movement of the plate 34.

At the end of the group when the designation changes, the card feed is arrested, and the back total shaft 8 rocks, whereupon the resetting lever 3I secured thereto swings the operating plate 29 and the bail 21 (clockwise in Figure 2) into a position in which the bail holds all the locking slides in their extreme position (to. the right in Figure 2) in which they are disengaged' from the lugs on the stops, leaving the latter free. I

The resetting lever 3| on lthe back total shaft also simultaneously releases the pawl 39 from engagement with the tooth 48 on the latch plate 34, whereupon the latter swings under the action of a spring 49 until the surface 34a thereof engages the actuating plate 29 for the bail 21.

Therefore, when the total is printed, the zero stops I being free, the designation is printed with it, this designation having been oi' course entered into the corresponding accumulator wheels from the first card of the group.

In order'to permit the resetting lever 3| to release the pawl 39 the following construction may be employed.

Pivoted on the shaft 35 about which the pawlcarrying arm 38 rocks is a trip member 50 which has a slot 5I through which the shaft 35 passes so that the lever 50 is capable of a limited longitudinal movement.

At the upper end of this trip member 50 is a lug 52 which, while the cards are passed through the machine, lies over a pin 53 on the resetting lever 3l and at the lower end of the trip member is an arcuate extension 54 having as centre the shaft about which the pawl-carrying arm 38 rocks.. Y

.When the back totalshaft 8 rocks the resetting lever lifts the trip member by acting on the lug 52 and one portion 54a of thev arcuate extension thereon engages a pin on the tail of the pawl 39 and rocks the latter clear of the teeth on the latch plate 34. By reason of the arcuate shape of this extension 54 and the fact that its centre is that about which the pawl-carrying arm 38 rocks, the extension is able to release the pawl at whatever position in its travel thev latter may be.

It may here be pointed out that there are only two teeth 48, 48a on the latch plate 34 and that while the cards are passing through the machine the. pawl 38 is rocking idly just beyond the second of these tees (i. e. the left-hand tooth 48 in Figure 2).

After the latch plate 34 has swung to the position in which the surface 34a thereon is in engagement with the actuating plate 29 for the bail, and before the back total shaft 8 has rocked back to its normal position a pin 56 on the pawl operating link 42- strikes one end 54h of the arcuate extension 54 thereby rocking the trip member 50 carrying said extension so that the lug 52 thereon clears the pin 53 on the resetting lever 3| and thereupon the spring 50a, which is attached to the trip member 50, pulls the latter down until the extension 54 is clear of the pin 55 on the tail of the pawl 39 thereby allowing the latter to engage the surface 48h of plate 34 to the right of the first tooth (the right-hand tooth 48a in Figure 2) on the latch plate 34 whichy by reason of the movement of the latter, is now in register with the pawl 39. Then when the back total shaft 8 rocks to its normal position the pin 53 on the resetting lever 3| resumes its position below the lug 52 on the end of the lever 50.

Also when the back total shaft 8 rocks to its normal position the plate 29 is prevented from following it by the shoulder 36 on the plate 34. Consequently the slides 20 remain in their extreme right-hand position.

When the first card of the new group enters the machine the rocking of the sector restoring shaft 45 causes the pawl 39l to engage tooth 48a and step the latch plate 34 round one tooth so that the operating plate 29 for the bail 21 moves on to the lower step 36a on the latch plate 34, l

whereby the locking slides 2i)y 'are moved half way towards their locking position but the zero stops I` are still free. Consequently the designation is printed from the first card of the new group, and is at the same time entered into the designation storing accumulator from which it is printed at the next total taking cycle. Then cn the next movement of the sector restoring shaft the pawl 39 steps the latch plate 34 round one tooth more, thereby permitting the bail 21 to move into the position in which the slides 20 lock the zero stops I so that no further designations are accumulated or printed until the next total cycleoccurs.

Each of the locking slides is independently movabley by hand into a position in which it is inop erative and the recess 25 permits each slide t0 be latched in the inoperative position. By this means, the mechanism according to the invention can be made to operate on any desired column of the cardat will, all other columns being out out.

The invention therefore includes as a feature a record cardv tabulating machine having a plurality of printing elements, and selecting means whereby any desired printing elements may be caused to pnnt on a total cycle and from the rst card following a total cycle, said printing elements being rendered inoperative at other times, while the remaining printing elements are opera tive all the time.

What I claim is: e

In a record controlled tabulating machine of the kind including a plurality of denominational actuators,l an accumulator wheel to each actuator, a corresponding plurality of denominational columns of stops, each column including a zero step normally effective to block movement of the corresponding actuator, and means whereby the set ting of any other stop in a column tends to render the zero stop for that column ineiective, means operative in each machine cycle to. free the aetuators for movement under control of the oor responding stops to take a setting from said stops, said means being also operative to restore said actuators, accumulator wheel control mechanism normally conditioned to effect engagement of the wheels with the actuators after they have been set from the stops, and a total shaft serving. when actuated, to condition the accumulator wheel control mechanism to effect engagement of the wheels with the actuators before said actuators have been freed for movement, the combination of a. locking member to each zero stop, resilient means individual to each locking member urging said member into engagement with its associated zerov stop to maintain said stop effective, each of said locking members being mounted for individual withdrawal manually from engagement with its zero stop. means for manually latching each locking member individually in the withdrawn position, meansA operated by the total shaft to withdraw from engagement with their associated zero stops all those locking members which are unlatched, a second latching means common to all said locking members, resilient means rendered effective when said locking members are thus withdrawn by the total shaft to cause nid common latching means to retain said locking members. withdrawn, a pawl and ratchet device adapted to release said common latching means in stages, one; stage at each actuation of the pawl, and means for actuating the pawl at each machine cycle to eiect one stage of the release of said common latching means` at each machine cycle until the release is completed. the relation between the .pawl and ratchet device and said common latching means being such that the release of said latching meansv is complete after the data on the first record following a total has been read and entered into the accumulator wheels.

NORMAN GEOFFREY HOLDEN. 

